LOS ANGELES, CA – Permanent roadway restoration began Monday at Sunset Boulevard and Holloway Drive in West Hollywood, where a July water main break closed the street for more than a week, according to a City of West Hollywood notice.
The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) and its contractor started the work Monday, Oct. 19, and it is anticipated to continue through Thursday, Nov. 12. The work includes replacing bus pads and paving asphalt, and it requires lane closures, traffic shifts and temporary turning restrictions.
At least one lane of travel remains open in each direction during all phases, the city said.
Bus pad and paving schedule
Replacement of the westbound bus pad runs from 7 a.m. Oct. 19 through 7 p.m. Oct. 23, with one westbound lane closed. Eastbound bus pad replacement is set for 9 a.m. Oct. 25 through 7 p.m. Oct. 29, and again from 9 a.m. Nov. 1 through 7 p.m. Nov. 2.
Asphalt replacement in both directions is scheduled for Nov. 8 from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and for Nov. 9 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Eastbound asphalt replacement follows on Nov. 10 and Nov. 12, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. each day. During those two days, the right turn from westbound Sunset Boulevard to westbound Holloway Drive is closed.
What happened on July 16
The break occurred Thursday, July 16, at about 4 a.m., according to the city, and involved a 36-inch LADWP water transmission trunk line beneath Sunset Boulevard at Holloway Drive. LADWP said it responded to a pipe break reported at 3:55 a.m.
The rupture flooded streets, apartments and garages and opened a sinkhole. It prompted an around-the-clock emergency response by LADWP crews and the closure of Sunset Boulevard, according to the city’s initial response.
In a news release from the Los Angeles Mayor’s Office, Mayor Karen Bass urged people to avoid the area and to conserve water, noting that some customers might lose water pressure. She said water to the pipe had been shut off. At that point, Sunset Boulevard remained closed between Larrabee Street and La Cienega Boulevard.
A 1916 pipe already slated for replacement
LADWP said in its incident update that the ruptured pipe was a 1916 riveted steel pipe that is part of the Sunset Trunk Line. The department said the line had already been designated for replacement.
Crews removed about 195,000 gallons of water from the repair site to begin excavation and shoring, then cut out a 25-foot section of damaged pipe, LADWP said.
LADWP Chief Operating Officer Anselmo Collins described the failure at a July 16 news conference as a leak in a large transmission main. He said the department replaces about 45 miles of pipe a year across roughly 7,400 total miles. Bass said at the same event that the pipes are more than 100 years old and that repairing infrastructure that affects the entire city is difficult without a citywide plan.
Temporary paving after a week-long closure
Sunset Boulevard reopened to traffic about 11 p.m. Friday, July 24, with temporary paving, the city said in its reopening announcement. LADWP crews were to return in the following weeks for permanent paving and restoration.
West Hollywood Mayor John Heilman thanked LADWP crews and city staff in that announcement and said the city was grateful that no injuries were reported.
LADWP said in its reopening release that crews completed repairs and reopened the street overnight. Interim General Manager David W. Hanson said crews worked day and night on the complex, multistep repairs.
Trunk line replacement moved up from 2031
LADWP said it is accelerating full replacement of this trunk line, working with the City of West Hollywood, from a previously scheduled 2031 start date.
The department’s Water Infrastructure Plan for 2024-25 describes the wider program. It calls for replacing 240,000 feet of mainline pipe per fiscal year, which amounts to a 150-year replacement cycle.
The plan sets a goal of replacing 5,785 feet of trunk line pipe in fiscal year 2024-25 and accelerating to 5 miles per year of high-risk trunk lines by fiscal year 2029-2030. It states that LADWP’s water system has about 7,341 miles of mainlines and trunk lines, and that more than 30 percent of mainlines are more than 80 years old. LADWP also publishes a trunk line information page for the public.
Damage claims can be filed with LADWP
The Mayor’s Office release said anyone with damage should speak to LADWP personnel on site or file a claim through the department’s claims page.
Heilman said between 150 and 200 vehicles were damaged or destroyed in flooded garages.
Restoration is scheduled through Nov. 12
The work is scheduled to run through Thursday, Nov. 12. Contractors have said the schedule can change with weather and field conditions.
Drivers should expect lane closures, traffic shifts and temporary turning restrictions at the intersection while the work continues.
